ESI April 2018 Newsletter

April 2018

Newsletter

"Mt. Laurel" Affordable Housing Obligations
in Mercer County, New Jersey - 2018

Econsult Solutions worked with a consortium of the majority of the 565 municipalities in New Jersey to calculate their "Mount Laurel" obligations under the 1985 New Jersey Fair Housing Act. The Mercer County Assignment Judge recently issued her opinion for two Mercer County municipalities, and by extension, municipalities across the state.

Highlights

ESI is the Corporate Sponsor of the
4th Annual Urban Economics Policy Conference, April 13

4th Annual Urban Economics Policy Conference: Topics in Education

Econsult Solutions is proud to be the Corporate Sponsor of Drexel University School of Economic's annual symposium which brings together distinguished leaders to discuss important issues of the day. This year, Inequality in Education, Education Policy, K-12, and Higher Education and Implications for the Urban Workforce are the featured topics.

Building the Economy and the Common Good

ESI completed Building the Economy and the Common Good: The National Impact of Christian Higher Education in the United States, for the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities showing the overall national annual economic, societal, and community impacts of the consortium's member institutions.

ESI maps the Economic Impacts of SEPTA

Access to Rail Transit Increases Property Values

SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority) released their Economic Impact Analysis report in March. ESI completed the study and mapped the impacts to illustrate SEPTA's community and regional benefits.

Pew Discussion: PA Treasury Report on the Impacts of Insufficient Retirement Savings

PA State Treasurer Joe Torsella continues to leverage The Impact of Insufficient Retirement Savings on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, completed by ESI in January. He and ESI Dir. Ethan Conner-Ross presented the report findings during a Pew hosted webcast on March 12.

The Case for Public Housing

ESI completed an economic analysis for the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) "The Case for Public Housing" which was released at the Council's March 22 meeting in DC.

Staff and Senior Advisors News

From among 500 nominees and 45 finalists, Lee Huang has been selected by Mayor Kenney to serve on the newly established Philadelphia Board of Education, which oversees the School District of Philadelphia. This is an important role as the new 9-member school board takes over from the soon-to-be disbanded School Reform Commission, establishing local control of the district. Lee and his new colleagues are ready for the tremendous task of ensuring high-quality education for Philadelphia's school children. Congratulations Lee!

More news about Lee: he will moderate a panel discussion at the International Town & Gown Association's 2018 City & University Relations Conference, May 29 - June 1. Also, Lee was extensively quoted in the Next City article: Leveling the Playing Field in City Contracting. And, he spoke at the The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia's Region on the Rise on March 29.

Stephen Mullin will present "The Amazon Sweepstakes" as the keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association's 2018 Spring Legislative Conference , April 23. Mr. Mullin will also be a panelist at the American Society of Civil Engineers Philadelphia YMF's Critical Issues seminar on April 25. Mullin will be on the panel with PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards.

Dick Voith presented "Business Models and Financing Strategies" at the PA Automated Vehicle Summit, April 9.

Dick Voith together with ESI Senior Analyst Elizabeth Desmond presented "The Case for Public Housing" to the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities' Spring Meeting on March 22.

Jing Liu and Peiyong Yu have been promoted to Senior Research Analyst. Ms. Liu specializes in spatial and quantitative analyses, and data visualization. She had developed the mapping standards for ESI's Philadelphia Housing Index. Mr. Yu specializes in spatial and statistical analyses, transportation planning, and economic analysis. Congratulations to Jing and Peiyong!

ESI Director Andrea Mannino was part of the team that presented Drexeline Town Center to the residents of Upper Darby Township on March 22.

ESI Director Ethan Conner-Ross joined Pennsylvania State Treasurer Joe Torsella for A Pew Discussion: The Effect of Insufficient Retirement Savings, a webcast produced by the Pew Charitable Trust on March 12. Mr. Conner-Ross also presented SEPTA's economic impact report: SEPTA Drives the Economy of Pennsylvania at a press conference in late March.

ESI Business Development and Marketing Director Benedicte Clouet is currently traveling in Japan as part of her graduate studies in business management at Temple University.

Upcoming Events

Proud to Sponsor

ESI is the Corporate Sponsor of Drexel University School of Economics, Annual Urban Economics Conference, April 13 (sold out)

OIC Philadelphia's 2018 Innovate Ignite Imagine Luncheon, May 1 .

American Planning Association's 2018 National Planning Conference, April 21-24 .

The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians 2018 Solas Awards, May 3 .

Stephen P. Mullin to deliver the keynote address: Pennsylvania Economic Development Association 2018 Spring Legislative Conference, April 23-25 .

Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission's 10th Anniversary Economic Summit, May 7.

Lee Huang to be a panelist: International Town & Gown Association City & University Relations Conference,

May 29 - June 1 .

Esperanza National Hispanic
Prayer Breakfast 2018, June 12-14

News from the Lab

ESI ThoughtLab is releasing a thought leadership study on how wealth advisors will need to adapt to the changing expectations of their clients, who are expecting the same 24/7 seamless customer experience they receive from Silicon Valley firms. To stay relevant in a fast-digitizing marketplace, wealth advisors will need to rethink their roles and how they drive value to investors, finding efficient and innovative ways to combine high-tech capabilities with high-touch personal service. To do this successfully will require a new breed of advisor that is bionic, data-enabled, laser-focused on clients, holistic, and 24/7. To find out more, contact ESI ThoughtLab CEO Lou Celi.

Present Value

Digging In: Women in Agriculture

By Alison Shott

Read here.

Autonomous Vehicles

By Daniel Miles & Michael Murphy

Read here.

Center City District and
the PHI

By Gina Lavery & Jing Liu

Read here.

Industry News	Client Spotlight
Philadelphia Business Journal honors the 2017 Greater Philadelphia Economic Development Champions. Congratulations to: Amy Gutman, President, University of Pennsylvania Donald Hinkle-Brown, President & CEO, Reinvestment Fund The Amazon HQ2 Team: PIDC, Select Greater Philadelphia, the Chamber of Commerce Serving Greater Philadelphia, PHLCVB, and Visit Philadelphia	Congratulations to Joe Syrnick, Jerry Sweeney and all our friends SRDC! With an award of $12M from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to the Schuyllkill Banks, the Schuylkill River Trail will be extended southward connecting Christian Street with Grays Ferry Crescent Trail. The section of the Schuylkill River Trail that connects South Street and Christian Street officially opened in January.
Community Design Collaborative's 2018 Leverage was a success, raising funds for Community Design projects for Philadelphia neighborhoods.	SEPTA's GM Jeffrey D. Knueppel has been making the rounds presenting "SEPTA Drives the Economy of Pennsylvania" our economic impact report to the transit agency. He was featured in West Chester Daily Local News.

Stay connected